This application claims the priority benefit of Korean applications serial nos. 2001-4753 filed on Feb. 1, 2001, and 2002-1717, filed Jan. 11, 2002.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a clip for mounting an article, for example, mounting a sun visor inside a car.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, inside of a car are mounted various accessories or parts such as a sun visor assembly, an assist grip, an interior lamp, etc.
FIG. 5 representatively shows a sun visor assembly. As shown in FIG. 5, the sun visor assembly 131 is conventionally mounted on a ceiling board 125 and a supporting frame 123 by combining the ceiling board 125 with the supporting frame 123 joined to a main frame 121 and by fastening a pivot arm cover 127 combined to the sun visor assembly 131 to the ceiling board 125 and the supporting frame 123 with bolts 133. Thus, because the sun visor assembly is mounted on the ceiling board 125 and the supporting frame 123 by means of the bolts 133, the mounting work is complicated and requires much time, thereby decreasing the productivity thereof.
Therefore, there have been proposed fasteners or clips for easily mounting an article on a support structure in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,186,517, 5,857,735, etc.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,517, a support structure has a narrow slot and a wide slot communicating with the narrow slot, and a fastener is fastened to and released from the support structure by moving along the narrow slot and the wide slot. That is, the fastener is fastened to the support structure by moving to the narrow slot, and is released from the support structure by moving to the wide slot, so that the fastener enables an article equipped with the fastener to be mounted on the support structure.
However, the fastener according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,517 requires much material because of a long body and is likely to be released from the support structure while moving toward the wide slot.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,735, a clip has two elastic anchoring wings bent upwardly from a base plate at a predetermined angle. Thus, the clip is anchored to a support structure by means of two elastic anchoring wings, so that the clip enables an article equipped with the clip to be mounted on the support structure.
However, the clip according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,735 is easy to be fastened to the support structure but difficult to be released from the support structure.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above-described shortcomings and user""s need, and an object of the present invention is to provide a clip for firmly and easily mounting an article on a support structure and for easily separating the article from the support structure.
This and other objects of the present invention may be accomplished by the provision of a clip for mounting an article, comprising a base member being of a plate shape and having a through hole thereon; a pair of flanges extended from opposite ends of the base member in a direction perpendicular to a lengthwise direction of the base member; a pair of insertion parts extended from opposite sides of the base member and bent upwardly to be in contact with each other; and a pair of anchoring plates which are downwardly cut from the center area of each insertion part, are projected outwardly, are elastically deformable, and have a stepped part formed with inward and outward bent parts at a free end of each anchoring plate.
Herein, each anchoring plate includes a pair of wings protruded from the sides of the free end thereof, thereby preventing the clip from moving in an opposite direction to a coupling direction.
Further, end of each wing is approximately equal to a juncture of the inward and outward bent parts of the stepped part in height, so that the stepped parts of the anchoring plates and the ends of the wings are together anchored to the support structure when the clip is fastened to the support structure, thereby firmly fastening the clip to the support structure.
Further, each flange has at least one projection protruded from the surface thereof, so that the projections prevent the surface of the flanges from being in contact with a support structure to which the clip is coupled, thereby creating a gap between the support structure and the flanges of the clip. Therefore, the flanges of the clip are prevented from being in excessive contact with the support structure when the clip is coupled to the support structure, and are easily separated from the support structure when the clip is detached from the support structure.